Not exactly how I had planned this chapter to go, but I like it. And there are a few references to things in this chapter…

BANG!

Koga and Ornlu awoke with a start the next morning at the sound, which came from outside. More followed it, and they both ran outside to find out what it was.

“Holy hell…” Ornlu heard Koga whisper. Green fireballs were raining down from the sky, obliterating everything in a five foot radius. But the most disturbing part of the rain of fire was the fact that in the craters that they made, giant fire golems rose up.

They had black stone to make their body, which green fire raged inside, occasionally spurting through the narrow cracks in the stones. With every step, they left a fiery footprint on the ground that slowly burned everything around it. There had to be at least 500 of them.

“What the hell are these things!?” Ornlu yelled to no one in particular over the screams of people dying and fleeing. He scanned around for Larka and Fenris, hoping that they were safe.

“Dunno, but we need to get out of here! Quick, run to the hills!” Koga replied in a panicked tone as he took off towards the mountains that could be seen in the distance. The Grindar Mountains were a large set of mountains that could easily hide over 10,000 people.

Having no objection, Ornlu followed his friend towards the mountains, avoiding the fire golems that were attacking everyone in sight. Then, he remembered something that Fenris had told him long ago.

“Koga! These things are the Derjins, elite guards of Anugros! If they’re here, that means he is as well!” Ornlu suddenly yelled to Koga, who stopped suddenly and Ornlu crashed into him.

“Fuck, we are so screwed if he is. I don’t suppose you know what-LOOK OUT!” Koga yelled as a Derjin suddenly barreled towards them, knocking over anyone or anything in its way.

As soon as it came within a few meters of them, he and Koga jumped out of the way, causing the Derjin to run past them and stop after a ten feet. It then turned around and spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.

“You…the master wants to see you both. Come quietly, and we will stop.” It said, shocking them both. What did Anugros want with them, two 17 year olds!?

“What does he want with us!?” Ornlu asked suspiciously, lowering himself into a pouncing position, ignoring the dull throbbing in his leg.

The Derjin made to strange noise, like a fire roaring. It took them a moment to realize that it was laughing. “The master does not give details to his subjects, only orders.” It said to them.

“Well, unless we get details, we are not going anywhere!” Koga said suddenly, getting into a battle stance, his tail wagging from excitement.

“Then I’ll drag you to him myself!” The Derjin snarled as it barreled towards them once more at a speed greater than its size betrayed.

It missed Koga by a quarter inch, its fiery body singing his fur slightly. As it came by Ornlu, he whipped out his tail and struck the Derjin in the chest, sending it to the ground. That’s when he felt a searing pain in his tail, and he looked down as gasped. Some of the scales have been burned off, exposing the delicate flesh underneath.

“Koga, we can’t touch this thing, it’ll burn you!” Ornlu yelled as the Derjin got back up and ran towards Koga, seemingly unharmed.

“Great, now how the hell are we supposed to defeat these things!?” Koga called back as he narrowly avoided a punch by jumping back.

Looking around, Ornlu spotted Lake Firden about 600 feet away from them. Motioning towards it to Koga, he ran off to it, Koga following with the Derjin. No matter how fast he ran, the Derjin still gained on Koga. Ornlu prayed that he could outrun him until they got to the lake and defeat it.

However, as they neared the lake itself, Koga suddenly tripped, falling face first into the ground and sliding for a few yards. “Koga!” Ornlu yelled as he turned back to help his friend.

However, the Derjin reached Koga before him and kicked him brutally in the side, making him to flying into the lake. Glaring at the Derjin, who now focused on him, Ornlu ran to the lake where Koga weakly crawled to shore.

“My ribs…I think they’re broken…” Koga said as Ornlu neared him. Cursing, Ornlu turned around to face the Derjin, who stopped ten feet away once more.

“Come without resistance, and I will not hurt you. Resist and I will beat you unconscious and drag you to the master.” He rumbled as a last warning.

“After what you did to Koga, I don’t think so. Anugros himself will have to drag me himself…” Ornlu yelled as the Derjin looked shocked, then angry, and as he looked past Ornlu, he kneeled down.

“WELL THEN, I SUPPOSE YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE CHOSEN, EH?” A loud voice boomed from behind Koga and Ornlu, making the latter jump since Koga could not.

As Ornlu turned around, he was met by a sight that no one had seen in over 50 years. A giant figure that stood well over fifteen stories stood there, and wielded a gigantic, jagged sword.

The bottom half of the figure was basically a green fire tornado, which swirled around and left a fiery wake in its path. The top half had arms, a torso, and a head. The arms were made of pure fire and had giant black bracers that a liquid the resembled lava swam around. The torso had a blackened plate on it, and the head was humanoid with flaring orange eyes.

Anugros himself had arrived.

“Oh great one, we have brought you the ‘chosen’ ones as we were commanded.” The Derjin said, keeping his head facing the ground.

“YES, YOU HAVE DONE WELL, JAKEN. WAIT…WHERE IS THE FEMALE?!” Anugros boomed as another Derjin carrying something arrived. It then threw it to the ground, making Ornlu and Koga gasp.

“Larka!” Ornlu yelled as he ran towards her, Koga struggling to get up and follow. She had burn marks all over her body, and bruises and cuts all over her body. A cut that was on her leg was bleeding furiously, and her breathing was labored.

“O-Ornlu?” Larka asked, straining to open her eyes. Koga had now hobbled over to them and collapsed, clutching his chest in obvious pain.

“WHAT IS THIS? WHY IS SHE BEATEN AND ON THE VERGE OF DEATH?” Anugros boomed from above them at the Derjin who carried her here, who made a type of squeaking noise.

“My lord, she resisted. She was with that fool Fenris and it was-” he began, but Anugros cut him off with a roar that threatened to deafen them all.

“HE IS STILL ALIVE!? I THOUGHT I KILLED HIM 300 YEARS AGO!” The Fire Lord raged, bringing down his sword on the helpless Derjin’s head.

“Was that necessary, my lord?” Jaken asked after Anugros calmed down.

“NO, BUT I DIDN’T REALLY LIKE HIM. WE NEEDED THEM HEALTHY, NOT DYING. HE WILL BE ANGRY WITH US ALL…”  Anugros said as he looked down at Larka, who was being held in Ornlu’s left forearm.

“I believe the wolf a few broken ribs from hen I kicked him. Given some time, he will recover.” Jaken said as he looked at Koga, who was glaring back at him.

“YOU, SILVER ONE!” Anugros boomed at Ornlu, who looked up at him. “CHECK IF THERE ARE ANY BROKEN BONES.”

Ornlu obliged, but not because Anugros told him to, but for himself to make sure she was alright. He gently pushed on her wings, but got no response from her other than a moan. However, when he touched the leg where her cut was, she cried out in pain. He found two other spots that made her do that; one on her lower chest, and in the mid section of her tail.

“Damn it Larka, what did they do to you!?” Ornlu asked worriedly to her. he felt more attached to her after she had kissed him on the cheek last night, but he didn’t know if he had been dreaming about it or not.

“I-I was attacked. They t-tried to get Fenris, b-but he was surrounded by them. In his distraction, t-they managed to get to me a-and made it so I c-couldn’t move.” Larka replied through her pain, wincing with every strained word.

“HMM…I AM SORRY FOR THAT. THEY WERE TOLD TO BRING YOU HERE HEALTHY. HOWEVER, YOU WILL NEED TO COME WITH US NOW. HE WILL WANT TO SEE YOU…” Anugros said as he waved his hand.

Suddenly, Ornlu felt extremely tired and he fought to keep his eyes open. However, whatever Anugros did took its toll and Ornlu fell to the ground, igniting his arm once more and knocking him unconscious.